Chapter 30
The knocking continued before72Please respect copyright.PENANACmS4KKzq5v
Vander got off the bed, slowly walking over. He couldn’t smell much through the72Please respect copyright.PENANA5tHuqtkguv
heavy door, but there was enough to know that both Right and Left were standing72Please respect copyright.PENANAbZrUHpV4sb
there. He wasn’t sure what they wanted. It was still many hours away until he72Please respect copyright.PENANAP9SciCUu8B
had to get ready for his bout with whoever Ross had picked, so they must want72Please respect copyright.PENANA2R1ieWY5kk
something else. Shea jumped down from the bed to join him. Her ears were72Please respect copyright.PENANAV36LFzImUB
sticking up, but he knew that she would be ready to protect him if he needed72Please respect copyright.PENANA5wkA6jV14K
it.
He opened the door, slowly, poking72Please respect copyright.PENANAG03cQ4qVif
his head out to see the two bouncers standing there with arms folded. One of72Please respect copyright.PENANAFD4Jd7omMI
them was carrying a long, wrapped package in his hands. “I still have a few72Please respect copyright.PENANAWUEuMEiiXA
hours,” Vander said. “What can I do for you?”
“Ross sent word.” Right said.72Please respect copyright.PENANAGd1Oclr9Pg
“Something came up, so the fight won’t be for two more days. Make sure you are72Please respect copyright.PENANAz1p5mbnYhU
well rested.” The news was a shock. In the entire time Vander had been here,72Please respect copyright.PENANAzQhm4tNRDr
not once had the boss pushed back a fight, especially not one he had been72Please respect copyright.PENANAftWNMrhVB5
looking forward to for years. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had something72Please respect copyright.PENANADs8cwmrmA8
to do with him.
“Your weapon was finished.” Left72Please respect copyright.PENANAehFd3mXv29
thrusted the package into Vander’s arms. “Not sure what you needed something72Please respect copyright.PENANAn4fg3BbRT4
like this for, but just don’t break it. It was expensive.” Thanking the two of72Please respect copyright.PENANAyYqKTUX0kU
them, Vander ducked back into his room.
“What did you get?” Shea72Please respect copyright.PENANAkcIdAYTWZ3
jumped back onto the bed folding her paws underneath each other.
“A special sword from Kolmijr,”72Please respect copyright.PENANAhBUUwwpK7a
Vander tore off the packaging to show a scabbard sword. The sheath was ornate,72Please respect copyright.PENANAZulhTSVAR8
made from wood that had been painted black with white along the edges. “The72Please respect copyright.PENANAhkyolVg8xz
sword has a reverse blade, so I won’t hurt anyone if I come across them72Please respect copyright.PENANAWUoXLKLM29
outside.”
“If someone attacks you, you72Please respect copyright.PENANAqmJ97WBut2
should strike them down, no questions asked.” Shea growled. “They blamed72Please respect copyright.PENANAQhq1o4MqgX
you for something you didn’t do, they deserve no mercy.”
“Unless it’s Leon, I don’t want to72Please respect copyright.PENANADoFTJX9HUk
hurt them no matter your feelings on it.” Vander sighed. “They will be doing72Please respect copyright.PENANAHuYq7yrBzp
their job, there is no reason to lose their lives for it.” He placed the sword72Please respect copyright.PENANAVvJn72XbGZ
on the bed before cupping his companion’s face in his hands. “It’s no longer us72Please respect copyright.PENANAGufKK7v9El
against everyone else, Shea. We have friends we can count on.”
“Then where are they?” Vander72Please respect copyright.PENANA4qYvbxOzng
didn’t have an answer for that. He kissed the top of her head before heading72Please respect copyright.PENANAtwucXOjj5y
towards the desk against the wall.
With everything that had been72Please respect copyright.PENANA3wNZjBU0xK
going on, he hadn’t had time to look at the book Peyton had been willing to72Please respect copyright.PENANAza5R8miraX
kill Malcolm to get his hands on. If this book was as important as everyone72Please respect copyright.PENANAr9limVtSsi
seemed to think, why had it stayed unknown within the royal library for so72Please respect copyright.PENANAnZfH04SIjd
long? And why wait until now to get it? No matter how long he thought it over,72Please respect copyright.PENANALZESIYpWNj
he couldn’t get to an answer that made any sort of sense. Since he had the next72Please respect copyright.PENANAdY7e9gJi9l
two nights off, now would be a good time to find out why.
He removed the book from the72Please respect copyright.PENANALNr93QsO41
hidden drawer within the desk. Only two people knew it was there and with Shea72Please respect copyright.PENANAoCXrq492AG
guarding the room, there was no way Ross would have come in there uninvited.72Please respect copyright.PENANAF1o1KtM5zS
Friend or not, that would have been a one-way trip to the undertaker.
The book itself seemed to be very72Please respect copyright.PENANAkzs3rtBNRR
old. The blackened leather was beginning to crack while some of the pages were72Please respect copyright.PENANA2VcQD7uM49
stuck a dark brown from years of sitting on dusty bookshelves. It was rather72Please respect copyright.PENANAusqjnjgIDI
innocuous, if someone hadn’t been looking for it, there was a huge chance that72Please respect copyright.PENANAd7wOd9nbL5
they never would have found it. Vander hesitated before opening it. This was72Please respect copyright.PENANAZBTnokZBhn
something Malcolm had been killed for; what mysteries would be hidden within?
The first thing he saw was a72Please respect copyright.PENANAKCaBZOqPze
folded piece of paper inside of the front cover. Confusingly it had his name on72Please respect copyright.PENANAxYgfzHOxTF
it with the former King’s handwriting on the front. Frowning, Vander carefully72Please respect copyright.PENANAA1Es6OjHHE
removed the letter and unfolded it to read the contents:
Vander,
I72Please respect copyright.PENANAzup4Cj0odv
am writing this letter shortly before my son’s, and your friend’s, wedding. If72Please respect copyright.PENANA0fc7CUXobR
you find this letter, then my life has been cut short and my plans have gone72Please respect copyright.PENANA1zRUizF5pK
off the rails. Being the Ma’akti of Humjir has its challenges, but being able72Please respect copyright.PENANAWuAub998D6
to see the future and doing nothing to change it tops the list. Just know you72Please respect copyright.PENANAOssxpPXJ63
have everything you need to find those responsible for my death and bring them72Please respect copyright.PENANArF6OEONLHB
to justice.
In72Please respect copyright.PENANAN3WHYUd41A
this book you will find some answers you need, but the rest you will need to72Please respect copyright.PENANALE5251F0us
find on your own. I am sorry I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry that you must do72Please respect copyright.PENANAkeVRB9vl9B
this alone. He will listen to you; you just have to ask. Good luck kid, despite72Please respect copyright.PENANAwqYCyQIDnu
the time we had together I wish we had more, but I know you will do everything72Please respect copyright.PENANA1rj3k5fzTr
you can to protect our home. You always have.
After72Please respect copyright.PENANATv1430Y5fE
you read, see Humi. He alone knows that you are innocent, and he will help you.
Good72Please respect copyright.PENANAnxJCKOZITM
luck!
-Malcolm
Tears72Please respect copyright.PENANAugVUWUccc1
splashed down on the letter, but Vander quickly brushed them away. He knew he72Please respect copyright.PENANAVU1Ur97eTV
should be angry at Malcolm for not letting him know ahead of time, but he knew72Please respect copyright.PENANAqMqwYOqIZ2
that if he had been told, he would have done everything in his power to keep72Please respect copyright.PENANAAx3oEupJbl
the king’s death from happening. That didn’t mean he had to like it, however.72Please respect copyright.PENANA2KOFmook9T
And if Humi had known, that would have meant Malcolm trusted him enough with72Please respect copyright.PENANAwxuRAiSZB1
his secret, but did that mean Vander should trust him as well? There was only72Please respect copyright.PENANAo11h3aGkwh
one way to find out, but he would have to wait a couple more hours until it was72Please respect copyright.PENANAcHJW7SGOZM
dark. Until then, he would read.
He72Please respect copyright.PENANAwni3b2c5WC
skipped past the creation myth of the first couple of chapters. Everyone in72Please respect copyright.PENANAS0CcvObRaD
Eluvia knew about it, they were taught when they were small about the Gods that72Please respect copyright.PENANAGo6KlrpAy1
ruled their lives. Most of them anyway. He wanted to know more about Unna, the72Please respect copyright.PENANAkf7tBZwXcX
one who had changed the course of his life. He wanted to know about the demon,72Please respect copyright.PENANAJOMyDFBTlL
what he could do to keep it from taking control.
Tragically72Please respect copyright.PENANA6Ts0zybUsk
there wasn’t much in her section. He shouldn’t have been so disappointed, he72Please respect copyright.PENANAjPtGx61uGd
knew that, but it still hurt. Other than Aubum, Unna was the most secretive of72Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8MSNqssCQ
the Gods, preferring to toy with humanity and their emotions. There was no way72Please respect copyright.PENANAGzZ2oCHBAy
that she would spill her secrets on anyone who would ask and most of those she72Please respect copyright.PENANAcX6h5MHJn1
chose to take her power didn’t live long anyway, but it was still worth72Please respect copyright.PENANArW87MphwhR
remembering what was there in case he needed it.
Unna’s gifts are not for the faint of heart. She72Please respect copyright.PENANA9KNg9rK13u
gives her Ma’akti the power of the animals they bond with the strength of the72Please respect copyright.PENANAtkmd71Wybr
bear, senses of the wolf, or sight of the hawk, but it doesn’t come without72Please respect copyright.PENANAFBPY3oB3yO
cost. In each of her Ma’akti lives a more animalistic version of themselves, a72Please respect copyright.PENANArNdLArTXPg
demon as many called it. They embody what the person would be if they didn’t72Please respect copyright.PENANATRWtyFNITm
have morality and lived by the laws of the wild. Many can resist the urges of72Please respect copyright.PENANAqh4FxtJTnJ
their demon for years or even decades, but after awhile the walls in their mind72Please respect copyright.PENANAJGJIHbG1zK
crack under the pressure. They go into a trace then kill without question. Many72Please respect copyright.PENANASo1jKaPFlE
are killed once people know what they have done and have many centuries, people72Please respect copyright.PENANANYWDIXN3Fl
preemptively killed those chosen as soon as they found out causing many to hide72Please respect copyright.PENANAbiDt8CfNPk
their true nature until the end comes.
It is difficult to explain why these things72Please respect copyright.PENANAxzunjRxeh1
happen, why some can hold out longer than others. Many believe that it is based72Please respect copyright.PENANA8yPdACL3yc
on Unna’s will. If she likes you, she makes it easier to resist. If she72Please respect copyright.PENANA0gikG8uqL4
doesn’t, well, you wind up her dinner. Some believe that will is the driving72Please respect copyright.PENANAYpNyw60QaH
force behind resisting the urges, but I’m not sure if that is the case. It will72Please respect copyright.PENANA0ii26sq7en
be a true testament for someone to live more than two decades after being72Please respect copyright.PENANAc49HIEjvrs
chosen. As of now that hasn’t happened, but I am hoping at some point it will.72Please respect copyright.PENANAhIoGAID5Gj
These chosen can be a force for good in protecting us if Darkness ever makes72Please respect copyright.PENANAuia5SowAwS
her way back into our world.
Something of interest I have discovered after72Please respect copyright.PENANAHG3zwTPfHd
years of research. Each of Unna’s Ma’akti has something called a mate. Unlike72Please respect copyright.PENANAqYL9Hl1OVz
today’s term where someone’s mate is the person they spend their life with and72Please respect copyright.PENANAJDPsZ4G1lh
raise a family together, an Unna’s chosen’s mate is something a little more72Please respect copyright.PENANADcWU2PGTCS
primal. It tethers them to humanity, soothing the demon enough for them to get72Please respect copyright.PENANAo51eDGJYcS
a handle on who they are and who they want to be. It’s even stronger when their72Please respect copyright.PENANABNhYPgnUA0
“mate” is another Ma’akti. They can feel an instant attraction to one another,72Please respect copyright.PENANAN5H7fJDOGq
as if fate was guiding them. It’s only happened once before, if it can be72Please respect copyright.PENANAz6enSth2LU
believed. The only one in myth was Ritoru, Unna’s own mate. A large white wolf72Please respect copyright.PENANAsuSvBcnnAz
capable of killing anyone who dared messed with her. Quite a match.
Vander72Please respect copyright.PENANAgmxH8J3fdn
leaned back into the chair after rereading that part several times. The writer72Please respect copyright.PENANA715OlajGC0
said it had only happened once, if mythology could be believed, but if that was72Please respect copyright.PENANAT9zVumXiyE
true, how did Eliza know about it? Were things taught differently in Bricen72Please respect copyright.PENANAdrBNxsB3vY
than they were here? But at least now he had his answer. The creature72Please respect copyright.PENANAAe5ODIEP2H
whispering in his ear was his more animalistic side, the one that just wants to72Please respect copyright.PENANAa4xZ4PKjbc
kill and survive. He would have to fight with everything he had to keep it at72Please respect copyright.PENANAiuodvFK96h
bay, but what would happen if he was forced to give in? It was something he72Please respect copyright.PENANArR7uhyfh5E
really didn’t want to think about. Shea must have sensed his distress because72Please respect copyright.PENANAFyqjo17F36
she walked over to him placing her head on his leg. He rubbed the top of her72Please respect copyright.PENANAJSRXRxPsxS
head deep in thought. Perhaps Humi would have the answers he needed.
“Do72Please respect copyright.PENANAnkU5AswVCn
you fancy a stroll?” He looked down at Shea.
“Do72Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2oqzbJou5
you mean it?” Her72Please respect copyright.PENANADqNiqq3qV0
tail was wagging as she looked up at him. The only time she went out was to use72Please respect copyright.PENANA83vxRK0hIx
the bathroom, other than that she was forced to be in this room. Someone like72Please respect copyright.PENANAwi1n0BGSsP
her should be stuck behind the walls of some warehouse, she should be free to72Please respect copyright.PENANAtecTaND2j0
explore the streets. Since it was late enough and people were inside, he72Please respect copyright.PENANAj4C29NigYD
figured why not allow her some freedom?
“I72Please respect copyright.PENANAwyRVMojH61
do.” He nodded. He stood up from the desk, making sure to take the black book72Please respect copyright.PENANAkVCDCZKRws
with him when he got changed. Regardless of this place being under Ross’72Please respect copyright.PENANAxTwWtDumxT
protection, he didn’t trust the man not to go through his belongings once he72Please respect copyright.PENANAhtZGxpCFzx
and Shea were gone. He would do whatever he could to get one over on anyone he72Please respect copyright.PENANAa1yRHti6ra
thought he could use, no matter their position.
Vander72Please respect copyright.PENANA1ruyltwXbi
got dressed in his outfit he had used to cut down the Serpents the other night.72Please respect copyright.PENANASfxKoWZAfh
He had been up late cleaning all the blood of it then allowing it to dry. He72Please respect copyright.PENANAr5qzvaZqnL
didn’t want anyone to question him because it would be bad for all involved. He72Please respect copyright.PENANAt3ufCYK8Jn
reapplied some of the dye to his hair before strapping his sword onto his72Please respect copyright.PENANAkWGvZz5tdj
baldric. The two of them walked over to the window that overlooked an alley. He72Please respect copyright.PENANAdyP7hmbEq6
pushed his hood up to cover his face then jumped, landing heavily on the72Please respect copyright.PENANA3UlNdnVCzj
cobblestone road. Shea landed lightly behind him.
The72Please respect copyright.PENANAsHo88U25fV
Orange Fox was booming tonight. Patrons were disappointed that a fight wasn’t72Please respect copyright.PENANAytkJo6KIAQ
happening so they were drowning their sorrows in booze, gambling, and it was72Please respect copyright.PENANAG3sBW33uR4
likely that more than a few of Ross’ girls would get a hefty payday once72Please respect copyright.PENANA8E1enosic1
tonight was done. Right and Left were guarding the door dealing with people72Please respect copyright.PENANAr9YX9MISOF
wanting to get in, so they weren’t paying attention to the alley. Giving an72Please respect copyright.PENANADOx1gqlVoP
all-clear signal, Vander moved out from the shadows.
72Please respect copyright.PENANAEjvuUIlBAj
72Please respect copyright.PENANAO02rQJDJFC
72Please respect copyright.PENANAFmVH4Qgz22
72Please respect copyright.PENANAJXGF5U2Amc
72Please respect copyright.PENANATAz8JT3F5l
72Please respect copyright.PENANAwQkbwQMDRN
72Please respect copyright.PENANApnvHagCPOi
72Please respect copyright.PENANAdUx09wExsC
72Please respect copyright.PENANABZ0Z7loSIU
72Please respect copyright.PENANABWgZe0pepH
72Please respect copyright.PENANAb5K8pd8XE7
72Please respect copyright.PENANA6n5D1ddSxn
72Please respect copyright.PENANAc3LQzSf3qg
72Please respect copyright.PENANARNzOe3ZxQ0
72Please respect copyright.PENANAT3W29vi5AG
72Please respect copyright.PENANAIjBV3cTBUp
72Please respect copyright.PENANAXvPLlkpoSa
72Please respect copyright.PENANAfSuH6J1rkE
72Please respect copyright.PENANAyOzYH30W7M
72Please respect copyright.PENANA8UJw2i4fnz
72Please respect copyright.PENANAHJGtmhsAQ0
72Please respect copyright.PENANAVhnjoWNAEj
72Please respect copyright.PENANAZQF8ZoVjMX
72Please respect copyright.PENANAKOw8v4IxsH
72Please respect copyright.PENANAN9I1gxnMQE
72Please respect copyright.PENANAh7oscHi5RD
72Please respect copyright.PENANAOjunJ1pKGV
72Please respect copyright.PENANArsatrEDxDB
72Please respect copyright.PENANAbQpqNQvRUb
72Please respect copyright.PENANA8t83jHpPK9
72Please respect copyright.PENANAI7AVf6bflR
72Please respect copyright.PENANAaQfqVimi6e
72Please respect copyright.PENANA0WC9i4E3CH
72Please respect copyright.PENANA9KUSMTaUny
72Please respect copyright.PENANAsituU5XOg0
72Please respect copyright.PENANA4ZhJzvmPV3
72Please respect copyright.PENANA66uNCNPTqx
72Please respect copyright.PENANAecTuhvr5nt
72Please respect copyright.PENANAQLXxpHoDMp
72Please respect copyright.PENANA5OBLwmFSoO
72Please respect copyright.PENANAM4cEmwqV8m
72Please respect copyright.PENANArg11z1lBbb
72Please respect copyright.PENANAgANxs9bpEH
72Please respect copyright.PENANA75LCSiXaD6
72Please respect copyright.PENANAuc5VeaFskC
72Please respect copyright.PENANAAfHeMXzN6F
72Please respect copyright.PENANAOiuDqygPKW
72Please respect copyright.PENANAU9gbtCgSsy
72Please respect copyright.PENANAD7XruXxS6b
72Please respect copyright.PENANAIQgEc1w4eq
72Please respect copyright.PENANAOGDwrztE4i
72Please respect copyright.PENANA2MMGSJb3NP
72Please respect copyright.PENANAHXXdbmf2ji
72Please respect copyright.PENANAce899kV2Dn
72Please respect copyright.PENANAWeXXkX64y5
72Please respect copyright.PENANA2dh3yXh9l6
72Please respect copyright.PENANAgWrkPCS5QN
72Please respect copyright.PENANA3pOJRJC9ln
72Please respect copyright.PENANAJDhCADgvc7
72Please respect copyright.PENANAj2QRM8L9W1
72Please respect copyright.PENANA7YivO3Twnu
72Please respect copyright.PENANA8Ff8zlnhau
72Please respect copyright.PENANAH4pfsyqJMp
72Please respect copyright.PENANAyOTwbdQF5x
72Please respect copyright.PENANAoNBfRZSKLI
72Please respect copyright.PENANAN9qFFLEvCx
72Please respect copyright.PENANAwvldrgsImr
72Please respect copyright.PENANA7ZKSfT0o3A
72Please respect copyright.PENANAyNJTmktzSM
72Please respect copyright.PENANAWqQFdVg3Aj
72Please respect copyright.PENANAsql8rhgdQW
72Please respect copyright.PENANArYKUffqWJ3
72Please respect copyright.PENANAXJivAlcQCa
72Please respect copyright.PENANAwgpczFqccT
72Please respect copyright.PENANALjCCvydi6t
72Please respect copyright.PENANA1Jr70vIWM0
For72Please respect copyright.PENANAVn7lhBrPk9
tonight he said goodnight to the Southern District. Hopefully by the time he72Please respect copyright.PENANAZRTKVfpIW7
came back he would find the answers he needed. If not, then he just might be72Please respect copyright.PENANA6Q9IqADqpI
doomed.